GYE'S FRATERNAL EMBRACE--LAW-SUITS INTERMINABLE--DISSOLUTION OF
PARTNERSHIP--RETURN TO DRURY LANE--ARRIVAL OF ALBANI--DÉBUT OF
CAMPANINI--THE ANNUAL ONSLAUGHTS OF MR. GYE.
I SOON found that Mr. Gye, on the principle of embracing _pour mieux
étrangler_, had taken me into partnership in order to stifle me at his
ease.
In the early part of June, 1869, Mr. Gye suggested to me that it would
be very desirable to renew my lease of Her Majesty's Theatre in order to
get rid of a provision in the existing one, under which the Earl of
Dudley had the power to determine it in the month of February in any
year. Gye expressed his intention of seeing the Earl of Dudley on the
subject, and at this interview it was agreed that the Earl should grant
a new lease for seven, fourteen, or twenty-one years, Mr. Gye requesting
that it should be granted either to himself alone or to Gye and Mapleson
conjointly. The Earl decided the latter to be more desirable, requesting
that the new lease should be signed on or before the 1st September. In
due course we were informed that the lease was ready for signature.
As the duration of my partnership with Mr. Gye was only for three years
(one of which had already nearly expired), I naturally desired to know
what my position would be at the expiration of the partnership if we
were joint managers of Her Majesty's Theatre for twenty-one years; as it
appeared to me that it would leave him in command of a monopoly at the
Royal Italian Opera, whilst I on my side, unable to perform Opera at Her
Majesty's Theatre, would be called upon to pay half the rent of the
building, which meantime would remain closed. I, therefore, took the
precaution, when the day arrived for approving the draft lease, to
append the following words:--"I am willing to execute the enclosed lease
in conjunction with Mr. Gye upon the understanding as between him and me
that our acceptance of the lease is not to affect in any way our
relative rights under the articles of partnership. We shall respectively
have the same rights under the proposed new lease as we now have or are
subject to in respect of the subsisting lease under the articles of
partnership, and on determination of our partnership this lease shall be
exclusively vested in me for the residue of the term, I indemnifying Mr.
Gye and his estate against any future liability for rent and covenants,
or obtaining his release from the same."
This gave great umbrage to Mr. Gye, who thereupon refused to affix his
signature to the lease.
In the meantime, the 1st of September (the date stipulated by the Earl
for signature) having passed, Mr. Gye contended that by attaching a
condition to my signing of the lease I had not accepted the lease at
all. Besides, therefore, refusing to sign the joint lease, he insisted
upon having a lease of Her Majesty's Theatre for himself alone. A deal
of correspondence and trouble took place about this time, which I will
not weary the reader with, and hundreds of letters passed between us and
our solicitors. It was threatened, in short, that the lease would be
granted by the Earl of Dudley to Mr. Gye alone, to my exclusion. I was,
therefore, compelled in my own defence to file a bill in Chancery,
making Mr. Gye and the Earl of Dudley defendants, to restrain them from
carrying out their plan.
I ultimately, however, terminated our joint relations with more haste
than I perhaps should have shown in consequence of the abject
despondency, together with absolute physical prostration, into which Mr.
Gye had been thrown through the turn lately taken by operatic affairs.
As he lay exhausted on the sofa there seemed, indeed, but little chance
of his ever rising again to take part in the active business of life. He
could scarcely speak. He was pale, agitated, and such was his feverish
condition that it was necessary from time to time to apply wet bandages
to his forehead. In his state of exhaustion, combined with a certain
nervous irritability, it seemed cruel to delay the signature he so much
desired; and the effect of my putting pen to paper was, indeed, to cause
him instantaneous relief. Never before did I see such a change. His
despondency left him. He rose from the sofa, walked about with an
elastic step, a cheerful air, and had he been anything of a vocalist
would, I feel sure, have sung.
By the terms now agreed to between Mr. Gye and myself I was freed from
all outstanding claims upon the theatre, and received a payment in
money. I at the same time agreed to withdraw the Chancery proceedings
against Dudley and Gye.
Immediately afterwards I set about forming a Company for my provincial
operatic tour of 1870; also renting Covent Garden from Mr. Gye for the
autumn, as I found it impossible to obtain Her Majesty's, being informed
by Lord Dudley's solicitors that it had been let to Mr. Gye. The ensuing
spring I returned to my old quarters at Drury Lane, my first act being
to secure the services of Sir Michael Costa, who forthwith began forming
his orchestra, whilst I went to the Continent in quest of vocal talent.
I will not trouble the reader about my provincial opera tour, which, as
usual, was very successful indeed; nor with my spring concert tour of
1871, with Titiens, Trebelli, Santley, Foli, and other eminent artists.
I opened my London season of 1871 under brilliant auspices, the Prince
of Wales having taken a box as well as all the leading supporters from
the old house. About this time I secured the services of Mdlle. Marimon,
who drew enormous receipts, but unfortunately fell sick after the third
night. It was only on rare intervals that she appeared again during the
season. I, however, got safely through; producing several standard
works, under the able direction of Sir Michael Costa, in addition to a
revival of _Robert the Devil_, also _Semiramide_, with Titiens and
Trebelli, who in this work always drew crowded houses. I also produced
_Anna Bolena_. The season finished up satisfactorily, and I was glad to
get a fortnight's well-earned rest prior to my autumn tour of opera,
which was pre-eminently successful. I returned to London to take up my
autumn season afterwards at the Royal Italian Opera, Covent Garden,
which terminated early in December, after which I gave a few concluding
operatic performances at Brighton.
Early the following year I again started on my spring concert tour;
during which I gave 48 concerts in 48 cities in 48 days, followed by a
spring opera season at Edinburgh.
I have omitted to state that prior to the opening of my successful Drury
Lane season of 1871, the Earl of Dudley became the plaintiff and Mr. Gye
the defendant with regard to Her Majesty's Theatre. Finding I was at
Drury Lane, and in open opposition to the Royal Italian Opera, Mr. Gye
did not seem to think it desirable that he should execute the lease;
whereupon Lord Dudley took proceedings against Gye for £7,500, as
arrears of rent for Her Majesty's Theatre.
About this time Jarrett, in reply to my constant applications, informed
me that Mdlle. Nilsson was about to be married, and, in fact, that her
future husband had already arrived in America, but that he, Jarrett, had
succeeded in inducing her to give four performances the next season
prior to the marriage, which was to be postponed until the following
year. He explained in his letter that as her performances were to be
limited to four I was not to complain of the only terms he could get the
lady to assent to; namely, £200 for each representation. He explained
that £800 would be the total sum; "and what," he asked, "is that where
thousands are concerned, in addition to the prestige it will give to
your house, as well as the influence on the subscription list?" I
thereupon authorized him to close the matter for the season of 1872.
About this time my attention was drawn by my friend Zimelli, the manager
of the theatre at Malta, to a most charming young soprano, who he
assured me was destined to take a very high rank; and about the same
time I received a letter from a regular subscriber to the house, a
distinguished officer, pointing out the excellence of this young lady. I
at once opened negotiations which ultimately led to favourable results.
Colonel McCray, I may add, had written to me from Florence on the same
subject. The name of the young singer was Emma Albani; and having, as I
thought, secured her services--positively promised in a letter written
to me by the lady--I found myself deprived of them by Mr. Gye; who I
find, now that I look back on the past, paid me an attention of this
kind--sometimes greater, sometimes less--regularly every year.
On her arrival Mdlle. Albani was to sign the contract; and as soon as
she got to London she, with perfect good faith, drove to what she
believed to be my theatre. She had told the cab-man to take her to the
manager's office at the Italian Opera. She was conveyed to the Royal
Italian Opera, and, sending in her card to Mr. Gye, who had doubtless
heard of her, was at once received. On Mdlle. Albani's saying that she
had come to sign the contract which I had offered her, Mr. Gye, knowing
that I never made engagements but with artists of merit, gave her at
once the agreement she desired.
To do Mr. Gye justice I must here mention that after the contract had
been signed he, in the frankest manner, avowed to Mdlle. Albani that he
was not Mr. Mapleson, for whom she had hitherto mistaken him. He
explained to her that there was a manager named Mapleson who rented an
establishment somewhere round the corner where operas and other things
were from time to time played; but _the_ opera, the permanent
institution known as such, was the one he had the honour of directing.
If, he concluded, Mdlle. Albani was sorry to have dealt with him she
might still consider herself free, and he would at once tear up the
contract.
Mdlle. Albani, however, was so impressed by the emphatic manner in which
Mr. Gye dwelt on the superiority of his theatre to mine that she
declared herself satisfied, and kept to the contract she had signed.
Colonel McCray called on me soon afterwards to beg that out of
consideration for the lady I would give up the letter in which she
declared herself ready to sign with me. I assured him that I had no
intention of making any legal use of it, but that I should like to keep
it as a souvenir of the charming vocalist who had at one time shown
herself willing to be introduced to the London public under my auspices.
Why, it may be asked, as a simple matter of business--indeed, as an act
of justice to myself--did I not take proceedings for an enforcement of
the agreement which Mdlle. Albani had virtually contracted? I, of
course, considered the advisability of doing so, and one reason for
which I took no steps in the matter was that Titiens, Nilsson, Murska,
and Marimon were members of my Company, and that even if Mdlle. Albani
had come to me I should have found it difficult to furnish her with
appropriate parts.
The young lady duly appeared at Covent Garden about the beginning of
April in _La Sonnambula_, and at once achieved a remarkable success,
which caused me very much to regret the loss of her. She afterwards
appeared as "Elsa" in _Lohengrin_ in an Italian version, which had been
made for me by Signor Marchesi, husband of the well-known teacher of
operatic singing, and himself an accomplished musician.
I had ordered from Signor Marchesi as long before as 1864 an Italian
version of _Tannhäuser_, which I duly announced in my prospectus for
that year, but which I was dissuaded by some critical friends, who did
not believe in Wagner, from presenting to the public. I had been
advised, and there was certainly reason in the advice, that if I had
quite decided to run such a risk as would be necessarily incurred
through the production of an opera by Wagner (whose _Tannhäuser_ had
three years previously been hissed and hooted from the stage of the
Paris Opera-house) I should at least begin with his most interesting and
most attractive work, the poetical _Lohengrin_. Accordingly, reserving
_Tannhäuser_ for a future occasion, I determined to begin my Wagnerian
operations with the beautiful legend of Elsa and the Knight of the Swan;
and I commissioned Signor Marchesi to execute such a version of
_Lohengrin_ as he had previously given me of _Tannhäuser_--a version,
that is to say, in which, without any departure from the meaning of the
words or from the forms of the original versification, the musical
accents should be uniformly observed.
But in England the laws relating to dramatic property seem to have been
made for the advantage only of pirates and smugglers. I had printed the
Italian translation of _Lohengrin_ which Signor Marchesi had executed
for me, and for which I had paid him the sum of £150. But I had not
secured rights of representation in the work by going through the
necessary farce of a mock performance before a sham public; and anyone,
therefore, was at liberty to perform a translation which in any country
but England would have been regarded as my property. How Signor
Marchesi's translation of _Lohengrin_ got into Mr. Gye's hands I do not
know. But the version prepared for me at my cost was the one which Mr.
Gye produced, and which somehow found its way to all the Italian
theatres.
It has amused me in glancing through the history of my operatic seasons
since 1861 to see how persistently Mr. Gye endeavoured by some
stroke--let us say of policy--to bring my career as operatic manager to
an abrupt end.
In 1861, when at Adelina Patti's own suggestion I was engaging a Company
and taking a theatre with a view to her first appearance in England, he
entangled her in an engagement by means of a fifty-pound loan.
In 1862, just when I was on the point of opening Her Majesty's Theatre,
the late Mr. Augustus Harris, Mr. Gye's stage manager and adviser on
many points, approached Mdlle. Titiens with an offer of a blank
engagement.
In 1863 Mr. Gye's insidious but unsuccessful advances towards Mdlle.
Titiens were repeated.
In 1864 Mr. Gye having, as he pretended, bought exclusive rights in
_Faust_ over my head, tried by means of an injunction, impossible under
the circumstances (since the right of representing Faust at my own
theatre had been duly purchased by me from the Paris publishers), to
prevent me from performing the most successful opera I had yet secured.
In 1865 Mr. Gye did not renew his annual attack until my season was
almost at an end. But on the last night, or nearly so, just when I had
been promising good things for the ensuing season, he attempted to
spring a mine upon me in my own house. I was sitting calmly in my box
watching a particularly good performance of _Faust_, with Titiens,
Trebelli, Gardoni, Junca, and Santley in the principal parts, when the
old Duke of Leinster came in and said--
"Look here, Mapleson; what is the meaning of this?"
He handed me a printed announcement which I found had been placed in
every seat in my theatre, and which I here reproduce with all possible
precision, not excepting the typographical peculiarities by which the
name of the "Right Hon. the Earl of Dudley" is made to appear in large
capitals, and that of Mr. Gye in larger capitals still. Here is the
astonishing document which if, on reflection, it filled me with mirth,
did also, I freely admit, cause me for a few moments considerable
surprise:--
=Mr. GYE= has the honour to announce that he has transferred the
proprietorship of THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA, COVENT GARDEN, to a
Public Company.
=Mr. GYE= will occupy the position of General Manager.
The Company has now made arrangements for purchasing of THE RIGHT
HON. THE EARL OF DUDLEY his Lordship's interest in HER MAJESTY'S
THEATRE, HAYMARKET.
The Prospectus of the Company will be issued in a few days.
ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA,
COVENT GARDEN,
JULY 29TH, 1865.
On inquiry I found that an emissary from Covent Garden had bribed one of
my box keepers, who, for the small sum of one sovereign, had betrayed
his trust, and deluged my theatre with daring and mendacious
announcements from the opposition house.
In 1866 Mr. Gye tried to carry out the arrangement with which he had
audaciously threatened me in my own theatre just as the season of 1865
was terminating. I happened to hold a twenty-one years' lease of Her
Majesty's Theatre; and to purchase Lord Dudley's interest in the
establishment was a very different thing from purchasing mine. But what
at once put a stop to Mr. Gye's action in the matter was an injunction
obtained by Colonel Brownlow Knox to restrain Mr. Gye from dealing with
the Royal Italian Opera as his property until the seemingly interminable
case of Knox _v._ Gye had been decided.
In 1867 Mr. Gye may have been nurturing I know not what deadly scheme
against my theatre. But this year a fatal accident came to his aid, and
he was spared the trouble of executing any hostile design. It was in
1867 that Her Majesty's Theatre was destroyed by fire.
In 1868 came the proposition for partnership. Mr. Gye wished to grapple
with me at closer quarters.
In 1869 Mr. Gye was intriguing with Lord Dudley to get Her Majesty's
Theatre into his hands.
In 1870 Mr. Gye made his droll proposal to the effect that I should go
equal shares with him in paying the rent of Her Majesty's Theatre, I
binding myself not to open it.
In 1872 Mr. Gye engaged Mdlle. Albani, already under contract to me, and
helped himself to my version of _Lohengrin_.
In 1873 he offered an engagement to one of my two leading stars, Mdlle.
Nilsson; and I had myself to write explaining to him very clearly that
she was engaged to me.
For two whole years Mr. Gye remained quiet as towards me. But in 1876,
when I was on the point of completing the capital necessary for carrying
out my grand National Opera project on the Thames Embankment, he wrote a
letter which somehow found its way into the _Times_, denouncing the
whole affair, and proving by an extraordinary manipulation of figures
that my rent would be something like £40,000 a year.
In 1877 Mr. Gye, knowing that I had engaged Gayarré, and well assured
that I should not have done so had not Gayarré been a good artist,
offered him double what I was to pay him. Gayarré, with all the
innocence of a tenor, explained to me that the temptation presented to
him was irresistible. I brought an action against him all the same, and
obtained in the Italian Courts a judgment for £8,000, which I have not
yet been able to enforce by reason of his having no property in Italy.